"This is wild and cringey", "Ludicrous" - Car parked courtside for advertising during Frances Tiafoe's 2R match at Delray Beach Open baffles fans
Tennis fans were left bewildered by the presence of a car parked courtside for advertising purposes during Frances Tiafoe's second-round match at the 2024 Delray Beach Open.
Tiafoe kicked off his 2024 season at the Hong Kong Open, where he suffered a defeat in the quarterfinals against Shang Juncheng 4-6, 4-6. Then at the Australian Open, he was sent packing in the second round by Tomas Machac.
The former World No. 10 defeated compatriot Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match at the Dallas Open. However, his journey was cut short in the quarterfinals when he faced another compatriot, Marcos Giron, and lost 1-6, 4-6.
Tiafoe then moved on to Florida, where he defeated qualifier Radu Albot 7-6(5), 7-6(4) to secure his spot in the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open. He will next face Italian lucky loser Flavio Cobolli in the last eight.
However, what captured the attention of the tennis fans during Tiafoe's win against Albot was a BMW car parked just a short distance away from the baseline. BMW even had spectators seated inside their luxury car.
Two individuals could be seen — one in the driver's seat and the other in the passenger seat — watching the match from the closest possible vantage point. Fans were taken aback and perplexed by the sight of a car parked courtside and they took to social media to express their bewilderment.
One fan described it as a "wild and cringey" spectacle to have an actual car on the court with someone inside during the match.
"This is wild and cringey. An actual car on the court WITH SOMEONE IN IT during the match," a fan posted on X.
Another fan deemed the presence of the car court-side as "ludicrous."
"It’s ludicrous," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Frances Tiafoe on playing at the Delray Beach Open: "I would love to win here"
Speaking to the Palm Beach Post ahead of his campaign at the 2024 Delray Beach Open, Frances Tiafoe expressed his determination to improve his performance after a sluggish start to the season. He emphasized his readiness to put in the necessary effort to achieve this goal.
Tiafoe also talked about his desire to win the 2024 Delray Beach Open, as it would mark the first time he won the same tournament twice. He won his first Delray Beach Open title in 2018 when he defeated Peter Gojowczyk 6-1, 6-4 in the final.
“I want to win a lot of matches. I’m definitely ready to put to foot on my gas. It would be big especially, where I’m sitting right now. It would be huge. It would be my first time winning a title that I won before. It’s been a long span. That’s what I‘m going for. I would love to win here," Frances Tiafoe said.
The American also expressed his love for the Delray Beach Tennis Center and his appreciation for the people, fans, and tennis community of Florida.
“This is definitely home for me. I practice here all the time, spent a lot of time here. Tennis in Florida is really big. People really enjoy it. I definitely like being here. Great fans — people who enjoy tennis. I like living here. Great people who are super nice and chill and a super big tennis community here," Frances Tiafoe added.